Glad to be here. My name is Ugochi but a lot of people know me as The Safety Chic😁

Today we’d be talking on Reasons your Child needs Safety Education

Last year, a 5 year old girl saved her blind grandmother from a smoke filled building. When they were interviewed, the little girl was asked how she knew what to do. She said she had been taught during their school’s visit to a fire station to go down and crawl out if there is smoke.

Also last year, a little boy made the news because he gave his baby brother CPR. You might wonder, how did a 7 year old know how to give CPR? He credited his knowledge and action to a film he watched where The Rock administered CPR. So, this little boy was looking for his younger brother and didn’t see him. Getting to the other side of the house, he saw his brother in the family swimming pool. Immediately, he brought him out and did CPR. The doctors say that action increased the chances of his brother’s survival when he was brought to the hospital.

Do you still think your child is too small to know what to do in an emergency? Or are you still among those saying God forbid or it’s not my portion? So, whose portion is it? The unfortunate truth is that bad stuff happen to good people but with the right knowledge and plan, you can navigate any bad situation.

So, here are reasons your child needs safety education

*They can actually act in an emergency*

From the stories above you can see that their age did not prevent them from acting right in an emergency. They just put to practice what they had learned directly and indirectly. This means if we consciously teach them what to do and how to do it, the results will be better. For instance, I’ve visited schools across the country teaching children how to perform CPR and handle choking amongst other safety tips. Imagine you find yourself in a situation where you can’t breathe, who will save you? Then imagine, you had a child around you who can act? Children can act, teach them.

*You will not always be there*

No matter how much you love your children or students, you will not always be with them 24/7. Therefore, prepare them for unexpected situation. Wouldn’t you prefer a child who knows what to do to protect himself/herself and others? This will give you some comfort knowing they can take care of themselves in your absence. You know that if someone tries to molest your child, your child knows what to do. If someone tries to entice your child with gifts, they know what to do also.

*Increased safety consciousness*

This leads to future behaviour modification in children. Most habits we learned and took into adulthood were learned in childhood. Therefore, when we deliberately teach children about safety, they become safety conscious. Growing with that attitude to life means that the amount of avoidable accidents is reduced and we will have a safer environment for all.

Research shows that most accidents occur due human error. This human error is either due lack of knowledge or people wanting to follow shortcuts. But when safety training is part of the life of a child, it reduces the incidence of accidents in adulthood because making the safe choice is now a lifestyle

You might be wondering, so how do you teach children in various aspects of safety: first aid, road safety, personal safety and fire safety? As parents, teachers and school owners, it’s our duty to get information and share it in a way children will understand. Use of pictures, videos, stories and even films can impart knowledge in an interesting way. Last year on my birthday, I had a Movie Day with The Safety Chic for teenagers. We watched a Movie titled “Taken”. At the end, the teenagers were the ones telling me what they had learned from the story of the girl who got abducted and how she was saved.

That knowledge will not be forgotten in a hurry because of the method we used in teaching them. You too can come up with ingenious ways too😉

Personally, this is how I help parents and educators:
1) Physical training in schools and places of worship.
2) Social media advocacy on @thesafetychic where I share tips, articles and videos that help parents and educators become more informed.
3) Organising a Movie Day with The Safety Chic for teenagers where we learn safety tips from movies.
4) Organising the annual School Safety Summit which happens in May to enlighten educators and parents.
5) A child safety story book, The Adventures of Muna which teaches safety concepts through relatable characters. (Book 2 will be out this month.)
6) We also have poster packs for schools which serve as a visible reminder of safety precautions

Considering the above explanation about teaching children on consciousness for incidents and the like, how do one reduce the possibility of consuming time during such a teaching in the class room(primarily and nursery)?

Thank you all for taking part: reading and answering questions. I really do appreciate

In the absence of further questions for now, I’d like to ask that you drop a line or two on Facebook saying your takeout from this session.

Facebook page: The Safety Chic
Instagram and Twitter: @TheSafetyChic

Or tag me in your post, Ugochi Obidiegwu

I’m open to further questions in my DM.
Thank you once again and have a good night’s rest

Miss, Ugochi Obidiegwu is a Cabin Crew and Safety Officer with a Nigerian Airline and also runs a safety business. She started The Safety Chic project to boost safety consciousness online and offline. The Train Them Young Initiative (#2TYI), a part of her project teaches students safety skills for free. She has trained over 1500 children across the country through training and her child safety story book. She is committed to raising safety consciousness in Africans most especially children.